lastminute.com's Newly Launched iPhone and iPod Touch Talking Phrasebook Is Free In The UK

Adds over 200 new words and phrases!

London, UK -/Wi-Fi Technology News/- lastminute.com announced today the launch of a new, free talking phrasebook for 2009 for iPhone and iPod Touch users in the UK. Developed by Coolgorilla, the phrasebook is available in six different language versions: French, German, Greek, Italian Portuguese and Spanish, and can be downloaded by visiting Apple’s App Store.

Despite the credit crunch the British public are still jetting off to Europe for skiing trips, summer holidays, weekend breaks or adventure packages. Now lastminute.com is helping consumers to make the best of their breaks and holiday costs by providing the phrasebook completely free. With the phrasebooks now available on iPhone and iPod Touch, they will be even easier to carry, always available and much more interactive.

Using the talking phrasebook consumers can ask for directions, hire a car and even engage in small talk. Each one contains over 500 sound files covering all elements of the holiday experience including Eating, Travel and even Flirting.

Searching through a printed phrasebook, or struggling with embarrassing pronunciation, is now a thing of the past. The intuitive application allows consumers to search quickly and simply for a phrase in English and press ‘select’, their iPhone then pronounces the phrase in the foreign language with a real, native accent. The text translation is also provided on the screen.

“These new talking phrasebooks will help people to get even more out of their lastminute.com holidays and breaks,” said lastminute.com sales director Andy Washington. “With these great applications, UK consumers avoid having to carry around heavy, paper versions. The talking phrasebooks on the iPhone are easy to use, convenient and most of all free.”

lastminute.com allows you to travel the globe like a jetsetter, sightseer or seafarer. Or, career down a mountain-side on skis, a snowboard, or in a perspex ball. The new talking phrasebooks reflect this by having an increased list of activity based words and phrases, so now you can ask to go skydiving in Spain, or on a helicopter ride in Portugal. The phrasebooks also include localised options such as playing boules in France, or visiting a Greek ampitheatre.

The talking phrasebooks also feature a new search functionality. Users can now search for all phrases quickly and easily, so holiday makers do not waste any of their precious time.

“We’ve worked hard to make these phrasebooks simple and easy for consumers to use. And with lastminute.com’s sponsorship, we can offer them free to UK customers, so that they can enjoy their holiday even more,” said Roy Forsdick, MD of Coolgorilla. “As well as the new search functionality and increased vocabulary, we’ve created new landing pages that allow lastminute.com to offer additional, local deals to people. This provides a very rich and interactive way to reach holidaymakers with targeted and relevant offers, while they are on their holiday.”

lastminute.com’s talking phrasebooks are available free to any UK customer to download onto their iPhone or iPod Touch from Apple’s App Store.


About lastminute.com (http://www.lastminute.com)

lastminute.com pioneered the online travel and leisure industry by offering people a 5* lifestyle for 3* prices, selling everything from flights, hotels, gifts, gig tickets, restaurants and theatre tickets all at the lastminute.

Since its birth in 1998, conceived by the vision of cutting edge entrepreneurs Brent Hoberman and Martha Lane Fox, lastminute.com has come a long way. We now operate in 13 European countries and the USA. lastminute.com exists to help people make the most of their free time with new, creative and unexpected ideas for every single day.

In July 2005, lastminute.com and its group of companies including car rental gurus Holiday Autos all joined the Sabre Holdings Group.



About Coolgorilla (http://www.coolgorilla.com/)

Coolgorilla is a successful developer of applications for mobile platforms including mobile phones and iPods. Coolgorilla provides distributors and brand owners with proven revenue streams by creating bespoke applications targeted at the mass-market. The company has created a variety of applications including games, quizzes and sports guides.